I had a busy week full of doctor appointments and physical therapy. Tried to get laundry and grocery shopping done Saturday. Sunday is usual a restful day and sunset at the waters edge. Not today I am in pain from head to toe sores in my mouth eyes are so dry and red with bad sinus trouble. Just gonna be one off those ice pack days.
So sorry to hear that you are struggling, I can definitely relate I am coming out of flare. I however normally reach for the heating pad. Maybe I will have to try ice paks as well. Praying that you are starting to feel better. Take care of your self and get plenty of rest. Gentle hugs!!
Stacey
:-(. Sorry you’re hurting! It’s hard to resist the urge to get everything done when you feel good…but then out come the ice packs! I do the same thing. I fight to get through my long work stretch, and the next day I’m useless!
Hi!
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time. I was wondering what you mean by sores in your mouth? I seem to get a lot of what we used to call acid sores in my mouth, and like a white bump on my tongue. Are these part of the "package"?
I hope your feeling better. I tried doing house work all day Sunday. Now this morning I felt like I was 90 and I'm 47. When I'm in a bad flare I get mouth sores the Dr orders Magic mouth wash swish and spit....it really helps.
I see that a lot of you use ice packs. I was also using ice packs for a long time. I went to the rheumy and mentioned how badly I'd been feeling at the time and that I was using ice packs for the pain in my hands & wrists. He immediately told me not to use ice packs but to use heating pad instead (or heated rice bags). When I asked why he said the cold make the vessels swell and was making my pain worse. I think he was right because the heat does make the pain a lot less intense. I do still use bags of frozen peas for my headaches though.
Just thought I'd mention that in case it might help anyone.
This is really strange. I have always understood that ice makes blood vessels constrict, thus making any swelling and inflammation less. Conversely, heat makes the blood vessels swell, which can be helpful if you want to encourage blood flow. I myself usually use ice packs because when my hands hurt, they exude heat noticeably. Adding more heat would be couner-productive. I also use them partly because my body indicates that is what it wants. I will automatically be drawn to laying my hands across anything glass or metal to try and take advantage of their cool surfaces. Ice has always helped when I felt the inclination to use it.
That being said, there have been several times when my SI joints have been hurting me very badly, and I discovered that a hot shower, with the water spraying right on that part of my back, helped tremendously. In that case, I had no desire or inclination to put something cool on the area, and there was little heat going on.
At any rate, some fact checking concerning cold/ice packs and blood vessels shows that they do in fact help to constrict blood vessels and reduce inflammation and swelling.
Jen said:
I see that a lot of you use ice packs. I was also using ice packs for a long time. I went to the rheumy and mentioned how badly I'd been feeling at the time and that I was using ice packs for the pain in my hands & wrists. He immediately told me not to use ice packs but to use heating pad instead (or heated rice bags). When I asked why he said the cold make the vessels swell and was making my pain worse. I think he was right because the heat does make the pain a lot less intense. I do still use bags of frozen peas for my headaches though.
Just thought I'd mention that in case it might help anyone.